Pseudo-Dynamic Approach to Analyze the Seismic Stability of Reinforced Soil Wall for c–ϕ Soil Backfill

Abstract

In the design of reinforced soil wall, soil is considered as cohesionless. In earthquake-prone regions, analysis is based on either pseudo-static or pseudo-dynamic approach. Very few studies have considered behavior of reinforced soil walls assuming c–ϕ soil backfill in the pseudo-dynamic approach. Present study is aimed to investigate the seismic stability of reinforced soil wall incorporating the pseudo-dynamic approach. The propagation of primary and shear waves is considered under both horizontal and vertical seismic accelerations incorporating effect of soil amplification. A numerical algorithm is proposed to obtain the required strength of reinforcements, critical angle of failure wedge, and factor of safety of the reinforced soil wall for specific number of reinforcement layers and length of reinforcement. The effects of shear strength parameters, coefficients of ground accelerations, and soil amplification factor on the stability of the reinforced soil wall are critically examined. Variation in the mobilized pullout resistance of reinforcement layers and associated factor of safety with time is considered in the assessment of stability. For c–ϕ soil backfill, numerical predictions are in good agreement when compared with available studies in the literature for validation purpose.